60% OF POOR AND 40% OF EXTREMELY POOR PEOPLE DO NOT APPLY FOR BENEFITS
PanARMENIAN.Net
30.03.2010 18:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Presentation of the book, entitled: "Why poor people
do not apply for family allowance," took place on March 30 in Yerevan.
The book is created on the basis of researches conducted by focus
groups in eight communities of Armenia. Representatives of the RA
Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Consultative Center of Social
and Economic Researches, National Center of Small and Medium Business
Development in Armenia foundation presented the problems covered in
the book.
Nairuhi Jrbashyan, a member of the Consultative Center of Social and
Economic Researches said that the system of family benefits is one
of the largest programs of the state’s social security, aimed at
decreasing the poverty level. However, 60% of poor people and 40%
of extremely poor people, due to various reasons, do not apply to
social security services for benefits.
She voiced basic reasons, for which people do not apply to social
security services: distrust for system, sense of unfairness, certainty
that they will not meet criteria stipulated, as well as sense of shame
for receiving a benefit. However, according to Nairuhi Jrbashyan,
92% of extremely poor people and 80% of poor people, applying for
the benefit, receive it.
According to her, however, there are indirect reasons for such
attitude: low level of awareness, corruption in social services, etc.
Nairuhi Jrbashyan noted that due to family benefits the level of
extreme poverty decreased by 5.5 times from 1999 to 2000, while the
level of poverty – by 2.5 times. However, a quarter of Armenia’s
population was below the poverty line in 2008.
From: Baghdasarian